Strategic planning under way for recycling initiative

The city of Fort Collins has hired a consultant to help it accomplish an ambitious goal of reducing half the garbage that now ends up in area landfills. The 50 percent target was adopted by the city council in 1999 as part of a larger effort to improve the city's solid waste management.

"The Council established a two-stage goal: to achieve 35 percent diversion by 2004 and 50 percent diversion by 2010," explained John Stokes, Fort Collins Natural Resources Department director. "An inventory in January 2005 showed we are within a range of success for the first-phase goal, depending on the types of waste being measured. The plan for the next five years is to further refine our measurement methods and select the strategies we need to achieve the 50 percent goal."

The project team is lead by Skumatz Economic Research Associates Inc. of Superior, which will research and develop potential strategies for reaching the city's goals. Denver-based Corona Research, a market and demographic research planning firm, will help guide SERA's efforts by conducting a statistically valid public opinion survey to assess citizens' willingness to support various recycling measures. In addition, the city will solicit comment and participation from citizens and stakeholders, including the Fort Collins business community, waste haulers and environmental groups.